World of the Mind
by KuiperBelt
Summary: A young man wakes up in a daze in Arcadia Movement. What mysteries await him? Set in a darker AU, based on the storyline of WC2010. Connected to Rules Shift.


**Foreward:** This is, indeed, a Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's fanfic, but the story takes some HEAVY liberties on the story from the show/game. I say game, because this story is based upon the story found in Reverse of Arcadia. It is significantly different in a few ways, which will be explained in both this, and another story. For _that_ story, check out Sarcastically Insane's Rules Shift. The two stories will cross over a bit at certain times, but that will make more sense when we get to it. Also, certain game-only characters, like Seria, Okita, and Liquid, will become much more important in this story. Either way, enjoy the ride.

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><p>The room was cold and yet... immaculate. The entire thing, from the floor to the ceiling, was metal, except for the three human forms, and the monitors. The first two humans- one female with orange hair and an ornate teal robe, the other a man in a suit with a large swath of hair covering one eye- were watching the monitors, showing various numbers and data. The woman was watching a monitor with a wavelength measurement on the screen, accompanied by an image that was akin to a sound recording to show said measurement.<p>

"Sayer, sir?" the woman called. The man turned- his name was, evidently, Sayer- and looked at the screen. "Do you see this wave? It's moving irregularly. He could be contacting the spirit world." Her voice was analytical, like a scientist's, but there were undertones of heavy emotion; fear, awe, concern… Attributing just one emotion to her voice wouldn't have done justice to her mental state. The moving lines on the screen changed as she finished, becoming more regular, and smaller. "It seems the contact has stopped…"

"If he can't make contact, then we'll at least have another Duelist," Sayer responded, cold and cruel. "Even if he isn't psychic. Put him in a room, and make sure they don't find out he's a Sleeper." The term was an archaic term for someone who wasn't psychic, a state of being that had existed long before Dueling had become popular, or even its current, dangerous state. Sayer spat the word as if it left a bad taste in the mouth, and his facial expression matched that very idea.

"Yes, of course," she responded obediently. She turned to the center of the room, where the third human lay in a chamber. It was a young man with somewhat curly hair, in robes similar to that of the woman, colored in the same way. He seemed to be sleeping, though the machine in which he was placed seemed to have a much more sinister purpose. What could it be? And why was he in it? The question would have piled up, were anyone that was willing to answer around. His eyes groggily opened up, and he rubbed one of his eyes. If the woman paid attention, she might have notice the innocent, naïve look in his eyes. But she didn't, as she was focused on getting him out of the malicious apparatus he was stuck in.

"Where-?" the young man asked, not that anyone seemed to care. Sayer stood over him, an imposing figure with a sinister grin, but turned abruptly to examine the monitors once more. The young man looked at him, a blank look on his face, the question lost in the air. The woman finished unlatching him from the machine, and aided him in standing up.

"Don't worry, I'm going to take you to your room now," she said, still sounding professional, but at the same time displaying a certain kind of compassionate tone to her voice. It was a reassuring tone, compared to the sinister man watching the moniters. Still, the young man was dazed and confused, and followed the woman down the corridor with little, if any, resistance. "You'll sleep in here," she instructed him, her tone not unlike an elementary school teacher. "Here is a deck for you to use." Then she left, her heels leaving a tell-tale "click, click, click"-ing sound.

"So you're in here, huh?" A young man asked. There were two in the room, one looked pleasant enough, with glasses, dark hair, and closed eyes. The other looked somewhat feisty, with angry-looking eyes and somewhat spiky blond hair. He had his arms crossed, so it was most likely him who had spoken. The other one walked up to the still-confused young man from earlier, the same pleasant expression on his face.

"Don't mind him. I'm Okita, and this is Liquid. It is an honor to have you in here," He said through a smile, "You look confused- do you know where you are?" The young man with curly hair shook his head, "This is the Arcadia Movement main building, a group dedicated to Psychics and furthering the power of said Psychics. We even have a few Duelists in our ranks. What is your name, by the way?"

"Kaden…" Replied the young man from the machine, still sounding confused. Psychics? Ranks? Liquid cut off the line of thought, sizing him up with incredible scrutiny.

"You look all right. To tell the truth, we're new here, too, so we probably shouldn't do anything until we get instructions," he said, taking a seat on the bed to the right of the room. Kaden looked at the room- two beds, two night stands, and a couch. He eyed the couch, trying to figure the most comfortable position to sleep on it, considering that'd probably be where he slept.

"Since it'll probably be a while, why don't we spar a bit? Liquid and I are Duelists, and that duel disk on your arm seems to mean you are the same," Okita said, gesturing to the arcadia-issue disk attached to Kaden's arm, "and you were just issued a deck. We can't use our Gifts, though." The term seemed to refer to psychic powers. "Don't want to mess up the room, or with our minds." He laughed a bit, though Kaden didn't find it that funny. Still, he opened his duel disk, and so did Okita. "You can go first, considering you where the one who was challenged."

Kaden nodded, drawing cards on an instinct. Confused as he was, he seemed to have been a Duelist for quite some time. A light smiled dusted his face, and his eyes lit up; it was plain to Okita and Liquid that he enjoyed Dueling, a thought that would scare some people. Evidently, not the two of them, as they just reacted in a normal fashion; Okita stood firm, his hand readied, and Liquid watched with an avid interest.

"Duel!" The Duelists yelled in unison, the area between them lighting up as a playing field, and a protective dome surrounding them. The fight had begun.


End file.
